martin collins 1

This is yours Henry colours look pretty close to the ones i pull up on a search except the purple colour, this seems to be sort of the standard for the upper surface.

Looking for a Flair Fokker DVII kit, part built or complete model, i do have a couple of suitable Laser engines for one of these but would consider a complete one with engine. PM me with details please.

That works Henry, opened it ok thanks.

Yep, keep getting warnings so i didn`t open it.

I can`t open that file on my laptop Henry.....

Optical illusion, both mounting faces are parallel but there is an angled strengthnig rib down the outside of the mount that makes it look angled.

The engine is on the DR1 and is inverted, the mount has been placed on the bulkhead so that it exits through the hole in the front of the cowl so no thrust line issues Martin.

Just checked the box i was given with the model, it says Laser 150 on the label, but if Jon says it`s a 100 then it is a 100 😩. What am i looking for to identify a 150 or 155 that runs on 5% fuel Jon, i take what people advertise these engines as with a pinch of salt.

That's disappointing Jon, seller didn't know the size, i looked at pictures and counted the rings, from memory it has one more ring than my Laser 100. Just fitted it to my DR1, not going to have enough puff, i already have an OS 120 4 stroke powered one and loops need a nice dive, i was after a bit more on this one. By the time i had sold on the airframe this laser came out of i got it at a good price. May sell it on as its unrun with the box and pick up a 150, it's a bloomin minefield trying to work out what size these are.

11x6 on a 150? Certainly wouldn't fly the DR1 on anything that small.

I recently purchased this Laser 150 engine which looks like it is unrun, it came in an airframe i bought just for the engine which is going into one of my Flair DR1`s. All my Lasers are of the newer type that will run on the low oil content fuel and that is what i will be using in this. What is the standard procedure for running the engine in and recommended prop sizes for doing that and also for use on a WW1 model. I know there are some Laser experts on here, many thanks for your advice.

Test flight of the `barn find` Fokker DVII was going to be this afternoon, i got the swapmeet SC52 four stroke running sweetly after i changed the dead plug that was in it but while holding the model vertical to check the tune there was a thud and i felt a vibration through the model. The engine was still running nicely so i stopped the engine and put it on the ground where it sat at an awkward angle, the undercarriage had come apart. Instead of the parts being soldered together they had been bound with wire and epoxied together, the struts have rusted and what little adhesion they had when done originally had now gone. Lucky to have had it happen on the ground rather than in the air but it means i will have to make a new U/C with fresh wire and try and improve my wire soldering skills. I will make a jig to hold the parts together while soldering but i will still have to try and not set fire to the Fokker U/C `wing` that fits on it. Test flight postponed to sometime next week now .

This is a Precedent (SLEC) Stampe SV4B which i bought as a part finished refurb project last year but am now concentrating on my WW1 planes so selling it to make some space. It has been partially repainted and there is more green and orange paint with the model to finish it, it also comes with an expensive Callie Graphics decal set from America to produce the Belgian AF Stampe in the picture 00-PAM which has some eye catching penguin motifs on it, there is also a box with some cockpit instruments etc for fitting. It will make a nice looking model when finished and having owned one of these several years ago they do fly extremely well, a 120 4 stroke would be ideal or a 26cc petrol engine. I converted my last one to electric on 6s and that flew great as well. Pick up from Spalding in Lincs Price is £80

Pilot now added, hopefully the skies will be clear of rain for a sortie tomorrow 🤞, will add the scarf this evening.

The old Fokker is now ready to test fly, it has cleaned up quite nicely, i have left the cowling off in case the slow running needle needs a tweak, as mentioned i bought this at a local swapmeet 6 years ago, yesterday evening i went onto the Facebook page of the club that ran that swapmeet on the off chance that someone might remember the model. Paul Hazelgrove responded on the Fenland Model Flying club page that he had owned it for a number of years before selling it at the swapmeet, he had purchased it from a club mate and `flew it like he stole it` before a mishap meant repairs were required during which he found major fuel soaking on the fuselage so he measured all the parts out and rebuilt it before flying it again till he sold it to me. It is nice to get some history and chat to a previous owner of a model, he said it spent more time being flown inverted than the right way up, looking forward to getting it in the air if this damn mizzly weather finally blows through.

I always use canopy glue, i have found it holds roughened plastic control hinges very strongly to balsa as well, being quite thin it goes into the hinge slot well when pushed in on the hinge.

Yes, secret development by the Germans in WW1, never made it into production as it would only fly in circles..........

Having got my Baronette airworthy and now just waiting for warmer weather to paint it i have pulled out another Dark nights fix up model, this is a 50" span Fokker DVII. I bought it about 6 years ago at a local Swapmeet, it was pretty grubby then and even more so now as it has been hanging in my barns since purchase as it looks good but needs sorting out to make it useable again. Obviously not a Flair one being too small and it looks like the nose might have been extended, it certainly needs shortening to make it more scale. I haven`t pulled it apart yet to see what is involved in shortening it, i may just leave the nose as is as i`m hoping to pick up a larger Flair one to put my Laser 70 in to, certainly i will be aiming to just make the current covering good as i love the lozenge finish. It will get replacement servos, tank and probably a 48 or 52 four stroke engine, hopefully in the air in the next couple of weeks. Will take some better pictures once it is outside for clean up and dismantling.

Thanks Maurice i had seen that but i would need a second mortgage to pay for the two different types of lozenge pattern covering!

Looking at the possible options for lozenge covering a German WW1 model other than the very time consuming drawing it out and painting it by hand. I know Arizona Models used to do it (at a huge price) but it seems they are no longer in business. I know the Flair DVII kits sometimes had printed templates to hand paint the lozenge pattern, are these available elsewhere?

Yep same here, usually takes an age to load a page, the only website that is an issue but has gone super fast now........

Thanks Adrian, Richard`s bipe is a modified DB Mannock, mine is a Flair 1/4 scale DR1, my favourite model to fly, sorting out three more of them for this summer 😂.

Seven at our patch today, more WW1 skirmish`s with four soties over the lines which resulted in a crumpled wing tip, broken flying wires and wing dowls for Richard`s RFC machine, downed by the twin Spandau`s on my 1/4 scale DR1 🤪, either that or he was caught out by a nasty gust on final approach ..........

Yes it is that letter Brian (and Richard).

Baronette successfully test flown today, now the weather needs to warm a few degrees so i can get a scale scheme painted on it.